To The Netherworld
by Tricia Wall
Summary: A new generation; Two new heroes. The set up is the same, but the results will be entirely different. OCs


Evan

Ever since I could remember, my mother would tell me stories of a village where you could meet the dead, and a hidden place where you could meet all sorts of creatures. It is one of the few things that I can hold onto now that my mother had passed away. She was barely in her fourties, yet it was her sickness that had claimed her life.  
>Even though I was eighteen, I never had any goals or dreams to set after. One night, I remembered my mother's voice telling me that the village was indeed real, for she once lived there. If this as true, and I could meet the dead, perhaps I could be reunited with her. Whenever I'm with her, she inspires me with many dreams. That's why I had to see her. Otherwise, what was I to do with my life?<p>

I paused as I stared at my bed. All I had were two packed suitcases. Everything else that I had laying around the house were going to be left behind. I looked down at the smokey blue hoodie that sat in my hands before I resumed putting it on.

As I slipped my arm into the other sleeve, a dark silhouette emerged onto the bed, meowing. "Hey, Ruru," I greeted the feline as I zipped up the hoodie. I scooped Ruru into my arms before scratching the back of his neck. If anything, we could have been twins, despite the difference of species. We both had short, black hair, and we shared tired eyes.

As Ruru began to purr, I glanced over at the calendar; October 29. It had almost been two weeks since my mother died. It was hard to believe that I had been on my own for that long. Looking down at the luggage, I sat Ruru down on the bed so I could seal them. The black cat, as needy as they come, began to claw on my legs, his claws piercing through my jeans. Becoming slightly irritated, I picked up the cat once more, staring directly into its eyes. However, due to his innocent look, I decided to let him off the hook.

I sat on the bed before pulling out a folded piece of paper out of my pocket. Staring at the map in my hands, I thought aloud, "So... Ireland, huh?"

Not once did I enjoy my time at the port. Every sailor that I encountered would turn pale at the mention of my destination. It didn't help the fact that I was carrying two full cases and Ruru in a cage. Once, I tried using the cat's charms as a bribe, but to no avail.

However, just as I was about to give up and go home, I encountered an actual madman.

"Sure, I'll take ye!" the man exclaimed in a heavy Irish accent as he snatched the money from my hand.

"R-really...?" I gagged, believing this to be some sort of mugging scam.

"O' course!" the man answered, rubbing his hair-prickled chin. "When I was a young lad, like ye, I had to dream big to go to wonderous places. To become the best, I must voyage to the impossible to be the best!"

I leered at him, feeling my own intelligence melt away a bit. "Could you take me now, or no?"

"With pleasure, lad!" he exclaimed, doing an unnecessary salute. "Ol' Billy will get ye there!" I highly doubted that he was old, for he seemed to be in his thirties, but I climbed onto the boat anyhow. As Billy announced his "mission" to the other sailors, I sat all of my stuff down to give my weary arms a break. Ruru's seasickness began to kick in, so he gave long, pitiful cries.

"Don't worry, Ruru," I reassured the feline as I sat against the side of the boat. "We're on our way..."

Despite my guarantee, we still haven't left for another ten minutes. "Ol' Billy" was visiting the other men, most likely bragging about his current job. If only I was able to hire someone willing to transport me and kept to himself...

As Billy's laugh echoed through the air, my head sunked as I muttered, "Great, now I have a migraine..." Then, the boat lightly shook as Billy stepped on.

"Aha, well, I'll see ye again," Billy exclaimed as he walked past me.

"_Bon voyage_, ye bloke!" one of the sailors called as the others laughed. Billy chuckled along, oblivious to what they were laughing about.

"So, next stop is Doolin, eh?" Billy asked me as he untied the rope from the dock. "Yer from Britain, are yet not? I can tell by yer accent."

"Yeah, I am," I answered the latter question as he walked past me.

As he started the engine, Billy continued, "So, ye got a lass to impress? Ye come out all this way just to prove yer love for her...?"

Raising an eyebrow, I cautiously answered, "No...?"

"Ah, ye got yerself a dead relative then?" he asked. I froze for a second, but that was it. He didn't know me, and I wasn't going to explain myself to him. "Doolin is known as the village where ye can meet the dead. That's why so many sailors tremble at the name. It's also rumored that it be a land of death, ye know? Fer almost fourty years, the population has always been decreasing. Whether it be someone moving, or someone passing away, the number keeps going down. A cursed land, some call it. Men have shite their pants at the sight of its shore, and they would never go near it." After a moment, he added joyously, "That is, until now!"

Going into deep thought, I shuffled myself a little to get more comfortable. Poor Rur was curled up in a ball, pretending to be back at home. I crept my finger through the cage, attempting to pet him as I continued to whisper that we would be at our new home soon.

"Oi! Lad, wake up!"

It took a lot of willpower, but I managed to yank my eyes open. I don't know why I've been having trouble catching sleep. Even before the passing of my mother, I haven't been much of a sleeper, but day by day, I slept less.

Sitting up, I looked around, trying to remember where I was at. I realized that I was on the boat, and by the way it swayed, plus the sea-salt-filled air, we were still on the ocean.

"Ye have a nightmare?" Billy asked. I looked up at him to see that was steering with one hand, whilst having the other rest in the pocket of his goldiflower trenchcoat. "Ye talked in yer sleep. It didn't sound too pleasant." Now that I thought of it, I couldn't remember my dream. Whether it be bad or not, I couldn't imagine what it would be about.

"Are we there yet?" I asked him, ignoring his statement.

"Not too far off, lad," Billy answered. "As a matter of fact, we're just about to set ashore."

"My name's Evan," I finally gave in, becoming tired of being called "lad". The rocking of the boat made it difficult to do so, but I was able to stand. Looking out at the sea, I spotted an island. It looked gloomy, just like the rest of Ireland, but some other element gave it a sense that it was full of dread. Maybe this was why others were afraid to sail anywhere near here.

Luckily, I had some idiot take me, huh?

"Land ho!" Billy exclaimed, setting Ruru and I on edge as the boat rocked.

"Take it easy!" I warned as I gripped the edge of the deck, gritting my teeth together.

"Sorry," Bill apologized before he successfully straightened out the boat. Within the minute, he was able to bring the boat to a stop, and anchored at the shore. "Doolin be a little ways from here. We're fortunate enough to reach shore. So long as ye follow the lighthouse, ye should be there in no time."

"Right..." I muttered as I picked up Ruru's cage.

Before I could pick up my luggage, Billy went ahead and snatched them up. "I'll get this fer ye."

I looked at him for a moment before saying, "Thanks..."

"No worries!" Billy cheered as he tucked my bags under his arms before getting off the boat. I procceeded in getting off as well. Trying to keep Ruru distracted from the ocean a bit longer, I leaped off the boat and landed hesitantly on the ground. I became relieved that we were finally here.

"I hope they got a pub here," Billy stated. "I need a shot or two... Evan, do ye drink? We can go get shlossed and have a few tunes."

"Umm... No thanks," I declined, trying to gain some distance between us.

"Oi, what's that over there?" What surprised me was the serious tone in his vioce. I looked over at him before looking in the same direction he was. At first, all I saw was the vast, blue ocean. However, i took in more details as I looked down at the shore. Rocks were crowded along the shore, and the sand was pale white. In the sand, there laid a white polo shirt and a red skirt. Just above the shirt rested strands of dark-colored hair.

"Someone's down there!"

* * *

><p>... and so begins my Folklore fanfiction. This takes place about fifteen years after the original storyline, so the year would be 2022.<br>We meet our primary protagonist, Evan. (Previously named Evany, but I believed that Evan was a better suitor.) He is already encountering mysteries, and he hasn't arrived in Doolin yet! D:

To be continued. o3o

(I hope I didn't make Billy too stereotypical. ._.')


End file.
